Compression refrigerating plant



Se 11. 1940. Q.' A. F. www 2,215,046

COMPRES S I ON REFRIGERATING PLANT 'Filed Jan. 2o, 1938 2 sheets-sheet 1mi' l N@ 3S ra :t 3

t w m M .m M M u w M m Q TW, H w .m M w M m m .M m K. m m a, Umm Q Qwmv/ w Y m s n .C :,VEVM ,fr/ Q m ,m .ltemkffflfflflwlhx Patented sept.17, 1940 UNITED STATES COMPRESSION REFRIGERATING PLANT Otto AndreasFrederiksen Kramhift, ltiisskov, Denmark f Application January 20, 1938,Serial No. 185,982

In Denmark January 23, 1937 4 Claims. (Cl. 62-115.)

i In refrigerating plants having two. or more refrigerators the 'problemoften occurs that the .temperature must be different at the variousrefrigerators. 'I'his in many cases has been ats tained by using cooledbrine as cooling medium, brine having lust the temperature suitable forcooling therooms being` circulated through the refrigerating elementsarranged in the rooms by means of mixing valves and one or more brine lpumps.

In refrigerating .plants -working with direct evaporation of therefrigerating medium in pipe coils arranged in the rooms and withoutusing brine as an intermediate agent, it has been necessary as a rule toproduce the dierent temperatures by increasing or decreasing therefrigerating surfaces or by employing more compressors, eachassociatedwith avroom to be cooled. 'Ihe ilrst named of these methods will oftenbe detrimental to the goods stored in the room, since the air in somerooms will be too moist 'and in other rooms it will be too dry dependingupon'whether the refrigerating surface is large or small (the coolingcoil being long or short), and both sys- 25 tems suffer from, thedrawback that they can only be-regulated to an insumcient degree. Whenlmulticylinder compressors or double acting compressors with separatedsuction sides are used it has, therefore, in some cases been preferredto 30 operate with diierent suction pressures. but in known arrangementsof 'this kind complicated pipe systems with ordinary valves and numerousilange Joints are used which require a large space, create possibilitiesfor leakage and involve an un,- 35 reliable and diillcult inspection.

The invention has for its purpose tov obviate these drawbacks in acompression refrigerating system having a compressor plant with morecompression .spaces and a plurality of refrigera o tors operating bydirectv evaporation, which are adapted to work at two or more differentsuction pressures and temperatures. The invention is mainlycharacterizedby the provision of a suction manifold comprising aplurality of passage or channel members and a plurality ofdoubleadiustable or multiple-adjustable valves, which passages and thehousings of said valves are connected each with a separate compressionspace and with an evaporator respectively; each valve 50 beingadjustable to connect either of a plurality of compression spaces withthe evaporator in vquestion. Alternatively the valve housings areincommunication each with a compression space whereas the said passagesare connected each 55' with an evaporator. 'I'he said valves may consistof two-way valves in a simple case or of multiple way cocks, but theyare preferably formed as slide valves or as rotary slide valves. In sucha plant two or more different suction temperatures can be obtained by asfew manipulations as pos- 5 sible by means comprising for instance amulticylinder compressor or a double acting compressor, and in additiona greater or smaller fraction of the entire compressor capacity may beconcentratedon the evaporator or evaporators where l0 it is required. Inthis way the present refrigerating system for direct evaporation is asreadily controllable as a brine refrigerating plant, and moreover thenumber oi necessary ange joints and stumng-boxes and thereby the riskfor leak- 16 age is materially reduced, so that much space is saved,which is particularly important on board ships, where the availablespace is always very restricted and parts of the technical installationsare often accessible with difculty only, and where 20 the possibility ofaccidents and destroying of goods and 'machinery by leakingrefrigerating medium is substantially greater than in plants lashore.

The suction manifold, whose passages or channels and slide valves orother valves preferably, but not necessarily have their Yaxes arrangedtransversely to each other can advantageously be constructed as amechanically coherent unit or structure which can be handled as suchandconnected with the various conduits of the refrigeratlngsystem. However,in such manifold the passages and the slide valves maybe arranged ininclined vrelationship or they may be parallel to eachl other, suitablepipe branches and flange joints being provided for this purpose.

The manifold in addition to the said passages may contain an extrapassage or casing connected therewith and provided with suitable valvesso disposed that each compression space can be connected with either ofthe other passages.-

If the suction manifold comprises slide valves thev` slide valvehousings are preferably provided with a plurality of lateral connectingbranches with ports adapted to be opened or closed by a displaceable orrotatable hollow, cylindrical slide valve body also provided with ports.'I'he number of the latter does not necessarily need be equal to thenumber of ports in the wall of the slide valve housing, since one end ofthe slide valve body may for instance serveas a controledge. v

The invention maybe utilized for all kinds of refrigerating systems fordirect evaporation, such as stationary plants and ship installations,and

in either case the number of compressor cylindersy or compressorcylinder sides may be equal to or different from the number ofrefrigerators.

As an example of a stationary plant, wherein various temperatures arerequired ice-cream factories may be named, in which the goods are frozenat 10 C. to 15 C. are hardened at 20 C. to 25 C. and are quick-frozen at45 C.

to 50 C., or iish freezing plants wherein ice is produced at 10 C. to 12C., fish is frozen at 30 C. to 40 C. and frozen sh is stored at 15 C. to20 C.

With regard to ship cooling installations the invention is applicablefor instance to fruit boats which must simultaneously transport forinstance bananas at 12 C., oranges at 6 C. and applies at 0 C. Y

The invention will be further described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 diagrammatically shows anembodiment of a compression refrigerating plant according to theinvention and Figures 2 and 3 on a larger scale show longitudinalsection and top view respectively of a preferable embodiment of adistributing slide valve, four such slide valves being included in thesuction battery forming part of the refrigerating plant illustrated inFigure 1, and

Figure 4 showson a scale smaller than that of Figures 2 and` 3 a frontview, partly in section, of part of the suction manifold.

In Figure 1 the numeral I designata a threecylinder-compressor whosethree cylinders 2, 3 and 4 have each a separate suction conduit 5, 5 and1 respectively'through which the evaporated refrigerating medium isadmitted from a suction manifold designated as a whole by the numeral 8.The delivery conduit 9 common to all of the three compressor cylindersis connected with a condenser I0, in which the compressed refrigeratingmedium. is condensed by cooling water maintainedin circulation by meansof a cooling water pump II. The liquid refrigerating medium is collectedin a receiver I2, from which it ows to a manifold I3, and then to therefrigerating coils i6, I5, I6 and I1 controlled by hand operatedregulating or expansion vaives I8, I9, 20 and 2i respectively. For thesehand-operated valves could be substituted automatic regulating valves.'Ihe number of regulating valves varies with the numberof refrigerators.In Figure 1 four refrigerating coils are shown, but the invention canalso be used in such cases where there is found a greater or smallernumber of refrigerating coils, andthe compressor likewise may have morecylinders or less cylinders than those shown. As a rule` in ships morethan one compressor is installed in order to establish a reserve, butthe reserve compressor with accesseries is omitted on the drawings tomake the same more perspicuous.

The suction manifold 8 as shown comprises three passages orchannels 8a8b and 5 connected each to a separate suction conduit 5, 5 and 'lrespectively, and four distributing slide valves 2,

, 25, 26 and 21 arranged transversely to said passages and connectedeach to one of the refrigerating coils I8, I5, I6 and I1 respectively.'I'hese distributing slide valves may for instance be constructed in themanner shown in Figures 2 and 3 to bemore clearly described in thefollowing, but

at any rateeach slide valve is so formed as to control communication ofthe refrigerating coil with which it is associated with either of thesuction conduits 5, 8 and 1. The suction manifold 8 moreover is providedat one end with anadditional passage 8i arrangedtransversely to theother passages, connected to the left hand end of all of them asv shownin Figure 1 and furnished with two valves 22 and 23. The manifold 8forms a unitary structure, whose parts are for instance interconnectedby means of flanges and bolts.

The desired different temperatures in the rel frigerating coils areobtained in the following way:

It is assumed that the valves 22 and 23 are closed. The distributingslide valves 24, 25, 23 and 21 arel thought to beso adjusted, that theshown in dotted, lines. It is hereby made possible `to work in therefrigerating coils I4 and I5 with a temperaturediierent from that inthe refrigerating coils I6 and I1. It will be easily understood,however, that by suitably adjusting the valves`22 and 23 and thedistributing slide valves many other combinations can be obtained, andespecially that by operating the valves 22 and 23 two or more cylindersmay be caused to simultaneously draw refrigerating medium from a. singlerefrigerating coil.

'I'he embodiment of a distributing slide valve` shown in Figures 2 and 3has a hollow cylindrical valve body 35 open at one end, which valve bodyby means of a rotatable, but non-displaceable screw-spindle 23 (or inany other suitable way, l

for instance by means of a lever mechanism not shown) can be so adjustedthat the ports 23 in the cylindrical wall of the valve body are put in vcommunication with the port 32 in the valve housing 21 or that the port30 'in the valve are connected with the port 33 of the valve housing ornally that the interior of the valve housing at the right hand end 3l ofthe valve body comes into communication with the port 54 in the valvehousing. Thus either of the three connecting branches 31, 38 and 39 canbe connected at will with the supply conduit 38 for the evaporatedlow-pressure refrigerating medium. In the position of the slide valveshown in Figure 2- the branch 31 is connected with the conduit $8,whereas the two other branches 38 and 39 are cut off from the latter.

In the embodiment of the slide valve shown in VFigures 2 and 3 the endwall 35L of the valve body forms a nut 'threaded on the screw-spindle28, and said end wall has a pin 35h engaging a longitudinal groove 21 inthe inner wall of the valve housing, whereby rotationA of the vvalvebody is prevented. A' small non-rotatable nut 40 threaded -on'theexternal portion of the screw- A spindle 28 isgprovided with a pointer4I intiicatf" ing'the momentary axial position of the slide valve alonga scale 52.

Ae will be readily understood by those sinned i in the art the 4slidevalve construction shown in Figures 2 and '3 can easily be modified toform` a rotary valve operating almost in the same way.

While Figures 2 and 3 show an embodiment of However, only the valvehousings are shown ,the slide valve 21 at the right end of the suctionim CFI y asiaose to make the larrangement-of the various passages moreclear. It will be seen -that the valves 25 and 26 are similar to thevalve 21 except that they have each a double set of connecting areformed each by a horizontal series of connecting branches and annularcavities 44 and 43.

Thus the slide valve housings also constitute the necessary elements ofthe transverse passages. The three branches on one side of the valveshave a common iiange 45, see Figures 2-4, and

these flanges are clamped together by bolts 46.

I claim:

1. In a compression refrigerating system the combinationv of acompressor plant having a plurality of compression spaces, a condenser,a plurality of evaporators, a regulating vvalve interposed between eachof said evaporators and said condenser, a manifold including twocooperating interconnected sets of passages, each of the passages of oneset communicating with one of said compression spaces, eachvof thepassages of the other set communicating with one of saidevaporators,'the walls of one set oi said passages forming valvehousings, and an adjustable valve in each of said valve housings forselectively communicating the passage therein with any one of thepassages of the other set whereby various connections may .beestablished between said compression spaces and said evaporators.

2. In a compression refrigerating system the combination of a compressorplant having a plurality of compression spaces, a condenser, a pluralityof evaporators, a regulating valve interposed between eachof saidevaporators and lsaid condenser, a set of parallel channel members, eachof said channel memberscommunicating with one of said compressionspaces, a second set of. parallel channel members arranged transverselyto said iirst set and connected with each' channel member thereof, eachof the channels of the second set communicating with one of the,evaporatora the walls of one set of said channel [members constitutingvalve housings, and an adjustable valve in each of said valve housingsfor selectively communicating its associated channel with the channelsof the other set whereby various connections may be selectivelyestablished between saidcompression spaces and said evaporators; l l

3. In a compression refrigeratingrsystem the combination oa compressorplant having a plurality of compression spaces, a condenser, a plu`-rality of evaporators,v a regulating valve interposed between each ofsaid evaporators and said condenser, a manifold including twocooperating interconnected setsof passages, each of thev passages of oneset -communicating,with one of said compression spaces, each of thepassages of the other set communicating with onefof said evaporators,the walls of one set of said passages forming valve housings, anadjustablelvalve in each of said valve Ahousings for selectivelycommunicating its associated passage with the pas. sages in the otherset whereby various connections may be established between saidcompression spaces and said evaporators, and auxiliary valve meansoperatively associated with the passages communicating with saidcompression spaces whereby each compression space may be put intocommunication with any of the passages communicating with theevaporators.

4. In a compression refrigerating system, the combination of acompressor plant having a plurality of compression spaces, a condenser,a plurality of evaporators, a regulating valve interposed between each"of said evaporators and said condenser, a manifold including twocooperating interconnected sets of passages, each of the pas- `sages ofone set communicating with one` of said compression spaces, each of thepassages oi.' the other set communicating with one o! said evaporators,the walls of one set of said passages being formed as slide valvehousings each havlng al plurality of laterally disposed openings leadingto the other set of said passages, and a hollow cylindrical slide valvebody in each o! said slide valve housings, said` slide valve body havingopenings in its cylindrical wall arranged relative to said valve housingopenings whereby when the slide valve is moved, the valve body openingsmay be brought selectively into registration with the valve housingopenings to establish communication of the interior of the valve bodywith anyone o! the passages of the other set.

FRED KRAMHQFT.

